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adjacent to the landfill, and 3) to identify any environmental problems that may have resulted from the burying of <br />materials. If problems are found, they will need to be reported to the North Carolina Division of Solid Waste. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that at the last committee meeting, the services that are provided by the <br />County to the Town of Hillsborough were discussed. This testing is an opportunity for partnership, not only in the <br />funding of this, but it is potentially a partnership of using Hillsborough's property that would achieve numerous goals <br />that are of use to both jurisdictions. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that this was a great opportunity. He mentioned Hillsborough's chipping <br />operation and suggested a possible limited C&D recycling center. He asked who would be responsible for cleaning <br />up anything harmful that would be found on this site. <br />Paul Thames said that everybody who has a conceivable liability there would pay for the cleanup. This <br />would include the Town, the County, individual companies who transported materials there, etc. <br />Commissioner Brown asked if it would be feasible to take the area where the ball field has been created <br />and test the perimeter of that area. She wants to be sure that this area is safe for children. She would also like to <br />get a report back on items C, D, and E on the agenda abstract before adopting them. <br />Paul Thames said that from this testing and analysis the safety of the ball field would be determined. <br />Chair Gordon feels that it is important to find out if this site is safe. However, there may be a situation <br />where hazardous waste is discovered. She said that it might be more prudent to build another ball field possibly <br />near the community center. <br />John Link said that the community center is not being built on the old landfill. <br />Commissioner Jacobs feels that the safety of this site needs to be known regardless of whether there is <br />a ball field there or not. He feels the testing should be done to find out if there is hazardous waste on this site. <br />Chair Gordon said that it should be assumed that the site is not safe and one or two other ball fields <br />could be built in another area. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis feels that if there is a hazard, it needs to be taken care of. He hopes there is no <br />public health issue there, but if so, it needs to be rectified. <br />Commissioner Carey feels the Commissioners have a responsibility to find out if this site has any <br />problems. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to approve the <br />Manager's recommendation that the County expend $18,600 from the Northern Fairview Capital Improvement <br />Project for soil testing and environmental analysis of the Northern Fairview Landfill site. <br />Chair Gordon asked if just the perimeter and the buffer of the ball field could be tested. <br />Commissioner Carey said that the issue is more than just the ball field. <br />Chair Gordon said that she is against this because she feels that it is a mistake and one or two ball fields <br />could be built where the safety would be assured. <br />Commissioner Brown said that this motion does not preclude building a ball field elsewhere. She thinks <br />it is important to do this testing and analysis. <br />VOTE: AYES, 4; NO, 1 (Chair Gordon) <br />e. Norin c:aroiina iemporarV ASSIsiance TO NeeaV rarnmes [ IHNrl housing rrog ram <br />The Board considered approval of a funding proposal for the N.C. TANF housing program and <br />authorizing the Chair to sign a letter of support on behalf of the Board. <br />Tara Fikes said that the Governor has dedicated three million dollars in TANF funding to demonstrate <br />the value of housing assistance in helping TANF-eligible families achieve greater self-sufficiency. This program will <br />allow all 100 counties to apply for a maximum of $500,000 in order to design a program that will provide safe, decent, <br />and affordable housing for TANF-eligible families. A working group made up of representatives from the County, the <br />Town of Chapel Hill, and other non-profit organizations has worked on this proposal. Orange County would like to <br />target roughly 25 families who are participating in the TANF program at this time or who are TANF-eligible. Families <br />who are earning up to 200% of the poverty level and work or participate in job training or other work skill <br />development activities for at least 20 hours a week are eligible for this funding. Out of the 25 families, 20 will receive <br />rental assistance and five will receive homeownership assistance. This program will also provide education on <br />various housing, financial, and career issues. She said that the Housing Department would be applying for the entire <br />$500,000 and there would be a 50% matching grant from federal monies. There would be no requirement for County <br />funding. <br />Commissioner Brown spoke in support of this effort. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Carey to approve the <br />submission of a funding proposal to the North Carolina TANF Housing Program without the need for County funding <br />and authorize the Chair to sign a letter of support on behalf of the Board. <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked Tara Fikes if she had thought about including Freedom House in this <br />program. <br />Tara Fikes said that Freedom House would be included in this program.